Jaguars' Mathis eager to return

For a 10-year veteran like cornerback Rashean Mathis, a preseason game tends to be a routine event.

But Thursday night’s game in Baltimore against the Ravens will be special for Mathis.

It will be the first time he has played in a game since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament last November in Indianapolis.

“A lot of veteran guys hate the preseason, but this is one game that I am definitely excited for because I haven’t been out there for my guys in a while,” he said.

Mathis has been practicing during camp, but a torn ACL can often sideline a player for more than a year. Coach Mike Mularkey has been cautious in letting Mathis return.

Mularkey let Mathis warm up for the first preseason game against the New York Giants but didn’t let him play. In New Orleans, Mularkey didn’t even let Mathis warm up on the new artificial turf at the Superdome.

“He’s anxious to play,” Mularkey said. “We just felt the risk-reward on it even warming up [was too much risk]. It was a brand-new carpet in New Orleans. I saw a lot of guys tripping on it. (I thought) let’s hold him until this week.”

“We definitely don’t feel like we’re rushing anything. I’ve been practicing and busting my butt doing all the right things on and off the field,” Mathis said. “There’s no secret ingredient. Everybody’s body responds differently. I’m not a 300-pound guy (he’s a 195-pounder), so I don’t put the pressure on my body that they put on theirs. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I know how to do it. I’m humbled to be able to get out here this week.”

He added, “You have to listen to your body, and that’s what we’ve been doing. This week, I’ll get a little taste.”

When he was asked how long he’ll play, Mathis said, “I’m not going to do anything crazy.”

The starters are supposed to go deep into the second half, but the Jaguars are unlikely to let him play that long in his first appearance. Still, Mathis might lobby to play a bit longer than the coaches want him to.

A 10-year veteran with a torn ACL is a risk, so the Jaguars signed him to a low-risk contract — a signing bonus of $1 million, a $950,000 base salary and $2.5 million in incentives.

He’s likely to earn the incentives because he seems likely to see a lot of action. He’s starting now that Derek Cox is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

When Cox returns, Mathis will come in on the corner when Aaron Ross switches to the nickel on passing downs.

Mathis thinks he can still be the player he was before the injury and scoffs at any notion that he’s lost a step.

“If people say I lost a step, I don’t know where I lost it,” Mathis said. “I‘m still doing the same thing that I did before. We press a little more than we did in the beginning of my career. I bought into that, and I understand the techniques. If you’re successful at techniques and fundamentals, you’ll play a long time in this league. I’m out there with guys 10 years younger than me, and I’m still doing the same. I’m blessed to be able to do that.”

Of practicing against Mathis, wide receiver Laurent Robinson said, “He has a tendency to know what you’re going to run. It’s good to go against a veteran guy like that.”

Mathis also loves being a part of this team and said the players care for each other.

“The love is so strong, The chemistry and the atmosphere is amazing. From top to bottom, from staff to player, it’s the best atmosphere I’ve been around. It’s still growing. It’s only preseason, it’s only going to get better,” he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll be like a well-oiled machine. We feel if we do our job and everybody trusts the guy next to him, we can compete and be better than any other defense in the league. That’s not being cocky. It’s just the confidence that we have the right guys in the right places to make all the plays,” Mathis said.

Mathis, who’ll be 32 on Monday, gets asked by his friends and family how long he is going to play.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I love the competition. I love being around the guys. I love my family as well. When my number is called, I’ll be ready. No time soon.”

He said he won’t play until the wheels fall off, but he then conceded, “I might need to be told when that time comes.”